Fantastic way to preserve the fall cabbage abundance — because otherwise… no one can eat that many cabbage rolls

Making your own is so easy

Making your own saves you a TON of money + supports the local economy

Eating it opens up your sour tastebuds and allows you to digest everything better

Lacto-Fermentation is a practice done, around the world, for hundreds of years. It’s a way of preserving food, but it is also incredibly good for you. Read more about it in this post:The Art of Real Food Fermentation

Making your own Easy Lacto-Fermented Sauerkraut may be simpler than you think — but it can still feel daunting. Which is why I’m going to show you how to do it — step-by-step. You can literally grab a cabbage and some kosher salt — then a sterilized jar or a Mortier Pilon crock — and make it alongside me RIGHT NOW.

STEP ONE: Items Needed To Get Started

Wash your hands. For realz. You’re going to be massaging whatever is on yours hands right into this goodness.

Organic cabbage — covered in good bacteria

STEP TWO: Choosing A Cabbage (or 2 or 5)

Cabbage is easy to find year-round. But it’s best to grown your own, or purchase them organically grown. Organic cabbage have the best bacteria on them, which benefits your fermented end-product.

Carefully peel the 2 outer layers of cabbage leaves and set aside. (These will potentially be used in a later step.)

Shredding cabbage for Easy Lacto-Fermented Sauerkraut

STEP THREE: Choosing a Shredding/Chopping Method

mandolin (my personal choice)

sharp, heavy knife

food processor (this will land you with finely grated cabbage)

Chop or shred cabbage into very thin, short strips. Place the shredded cabbage in a large bowl (or two).

The method you choose affects a couple things.

The time it takes for you to shred the cabbage. (But really? Unless you’re chopping 14 cabbages this shouldn’t really matter. If it does… the food processor is your best bet.)

The end product’s texture. (If shredded too finely, your sauerkraut will end up softer — less crunchy. If shredded too thick, your kraut will be TOO hard.)

The amount of time it’ll take to ferment. (The finer the shred, the less time it takes to ferment. If you’re DYING to dig into your kraut, then consider shedding it finer.)

Personally I like using a mandolin on the finest setting (1/16′), but shred on the second finest (1/8″) for about 1/3 of the cabbage, to give it more texture. Then I hand chop the chunks the are impossible to shred without slicing your fingers off.

STEP FOUR: Adding Salt

Sprinkle the cabbage with kosher salt (or a delightful sea salt). I use about 2 tsp kosher (or grey sea) salt for every average sized cabbage. (One cabbage usually equates to over 1 litre of kraut.)

Releasing its liquid…

STEP FIVE: The Cabbage Massage

Begin massaging the salt into the cabbage by hand. As you do you will slowly break down the cellulose, allowing the juice to escape. The amount of liquid your release will be alarming. But this is the liquid you need to submerge your cabbage in.

This part is the most time consuming, but hardly takes more than 5 or 10 minutes. (Besides…I kind of find a zen in a it. I listen to great tunes and zone out for a bit.)

Packing kraut into a Mortier Pilon crock

STEP SIX: Packing It In

Tightly pack the cabbage in your clean mason jar, or fermenting crock. Fill to the point where the jar starts to narrow at the top. (But leave a bit of space.)

Press it down so the cabbage is completely submerged in its own juices. (There should be more than enough liquid.) If not, pour a little filtered water into the jar or crock, so it just covers the cabbage.

IF USING A MASON JAR: Fold a large saved outer leaf into the size of the mouth of the jar. Use this to press the kraut down into the liquid, to keep probiotic bacteria in, and allowing gas to escape.

IF USING A MORTIER PILON CROCK: Use the weight that comes with the crock to do the same thing the outer leaf would — by weighing down the cabbage into its liquid.

Two packing and storage methods

STEP SEVEN: Storing Your Fermenting Kraut

Lightly apply a lid to the jar, but do not close it tightly.

The Mortier Pilon crock has a really cool feature. There is a space on the lid (that screws onto the crock) for you to pour in some water. Once you’re done that, the final lid gets place on top of the water, but prevents it from closing/sealing completely — allowing gas to escape.

Place the jar or crock in a bowl or on a tray to catch any water that may spill over. Place the jar or crock in a cupboard of an inner wall.

An additional, but important note (that no one EVER mentions): Sauerkraut, while it’s fermenting, absolutely stinks. You’ll come home around day 4 and wonder why your house smells like farts and old socks. THIS IS NORMAL. And an unfortunate side effect. The stinking of your house can be prevented by placing your crock in the garage, or possibly the basement. But it’ll happen. (I find this to be exclusive to sauerkraut and not other things I’ve fermented.)

For the PRINTABLE, EASY-TO-READ VERSION –>>

And if you think this is so fun and you want to share the joy — please pass along to your people or share on social media. To be honest, it’s really rather fun to make a pile of sauerkraut with other people.

We are eating lots of yummy, nourishing, gorgeous foods…INCLUDING ferments…and celebrating the Harvest — on the upcoming Fall Community Dump. Sign up HERE and be the first to know what it is and when it opens.

Sara xo

About Sara

Because guilt will not win. It’s time to find some balance. And I’m here to help you. Follow me on my journey as I teach you all things “Dump” related, share my Cape- Burning Journey, and get you through the most life-changing community group cleanse you can do for yourself. xo

Yayayaya. You will love it. I mean, Val’s product at the Slow Food Market is awesome. But the power of making it awesome yourself is sooooo exciting. And your IBS gut and wallet will BOTH thank you. xo

Sara Bradford

Welcome! I'm glad you're here.

My name is Sara Bradford.
Here at Nourish I'm as passionate about my cocktails and duck fat as I am about green smoothies. And I think YOUR real, whole, awesome food should taste delicious no matter what. As a culinary nutritionist, I tackle the world of cleansing from a pain-free, realistic (delicious) perspective -- all the while knowing the most toxic ingredient is guilt. Join the Nourish Community as we wade through the nutrition b.s. by sharing hilarious wisdom and delicious recipes. Because if you’re not also having fun… xo